Seawall connector for attachment of geogrid material

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a system for joining and supporting adjacent sheet pile panels for the construction of wall structures. A connection beam is provided with male and female connectors to attach to the male and female connectors of sheet pile panels. The connection beams allow for connection of a geogrid thereto. The geogrid is secured to the connection beams with a connection rod. Each connection beam has an extension that is provided with at least one through hole for receiving the connection rod. The geogrid is then buried under the backfill of the retaining wall. The backfilled grids, which are attached to the connection beams, support and prevent deflection of the sheet pile panels of the retaining wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally a system for joining adjacentsheet pile panels employing connection beams and a geogrid for providingan anchoring system. The connection beam is positionable betweenadjacent sheet pile panels and provides a mechanism for attachment ofgeogrid material.

The present invention provides a connection beam having complementarymale and female connectors on opposing sides that interlock with theirrespective male and female connectors on sheet pile panels. Theconnection beam has an extension or flange that projects reward of thebeam. The extension or flange is provided with through holes for theinsertion of a connection rod therein. The connection rod is joined tothe geogrid by any suitable emans. The geogrid forms the anchor for thewall structure once the back fill of the wall structure has buried thegeogrid.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are other sea wall retaining panels designed for the same purpose,typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 972,059 issued to Clarke on Oct. 4,1910.

Another patent was issued to Weber on Dec. 10, 1929 as U.S. Pat. No.1,739,108. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,933,483 was issued to Pennoyer onOct. 31, 1933 and still yet another was issued on May 7, 1935 to McKeenas U.S. Pat. No. 2,000,492.

Another patent was issued to Smith on Oct. 22, 1935 as U.S. Pat. No.2,018,423. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,435 was issued to Mason onFeb. 1, 1972. Another was issued to Muller on Mar. 22, 1977 as U.S. Pat.No. 4,012,883 and still yet another was issued on Dec. 31, 1985 toWeatherby as U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,804.

Another patent was issued to Kulchin on Aug. 28, 1990 as U.S. Pat. No.4,952,097. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,414 was issued to Miller onNov. 29, 1994. Another was issued to Wheeler Jr., et al. on Aug. 17,1999 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,375 and still yet another was issued on Oct.9, 2001 to Byrne, et al. as U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,386.

Another patent was issued to Grossman on Mar. 5, 2002 as U.S. Pat. No.6,352,230. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,709,201 was issued to Race onMar. 23, 2004. Another was issued to Timmerman on Jun. 21, 2005 as U.S.Pat. No. 6,908,258. Another was issued to Chaplin on Chaplin as U.K.Patent No. GB 2 314 575. and still yet another was published on Jun. 3,1999 as International Patent Application No. W99/27191 to Burt, et al.

In a structure of the character described, the combination with afoundation having a continuous groove, of a series of metal sheet pilesadapted to be set in said groove to form a temporary wall.

A retaining wall, comprising a row of driven metal piles, concrete slabsrecessed at their ends to enclose said piles, and hangers passed overthe tops of the latter and having their ends embedded in the end facesof said slabs to support and align the same said recesses being filledwith cement to form an integral waterproof structure.

A wall comprising a plurality of interlocking steel sheet pilinginserted into the ground with king piles spaced therealong and standingabove the others, pre-cast concrete wall sections having recessed intheir side edges receiving said king piles so their bottom portions aresupported by the rest of said piles and bonding material between saidsections and piles forming the whole into a water tight unity.

The method of building a retaining wall upon a bed of solid rock whichconsists of drilling a series of vertical sockets in the rock, placing abeam as a simple beam vertically on end in each socket, reducing thebending moment of each beam by rigidly and structurally fixing itsinserted end with respect to its socket, and connecting the upstandingportions of the beams by a bearing surface arranged to receive ahorizontal load.

A wall structure comprising sheet piling, anchored tie rods engagingsaid sheet piling and formed of sections certain of which are pivotallyconnected at one end with said sheet piling below the surface of thewater for movement downwardly from a substantially vertical position andare of a length less than the distance from their pivots to the top ofthe piling, and pivoting means connecting said pivotally connectedsections with the anchored ones of said sections.

A retaining wall for supporting the embankment of a cut excavation. Thewall structure consists of a skin of concrete, an array of rows andcolumns of dowels or tendons extending from the skin into the cutembankment and rows of wale beams at the juncture of dowels and the faceof the skin tying the components together. The retaining wall is builtas the cut proceeds. A cut to a selected depth is covered by a skin ofpneumatically applied concrete. The dowels are formed as reinforcing,grout filled boreholes and the wale beams are formed as reinforcedconcrete members pneumatically sprayed against the skin.

There is disclosed a device for fixedly attaching a double-t or ani-beam to a sheet piling. Such fixed attachment of the beam is effectedby welding an anchor bolt to the rib of the beam and/or bracing barswhich in turn are welded to the flanges of the beam. Such welding iseffected prior to transporting the beam to the location for attaching itto the sheet piling. Due to the welding of the anchor bolt to theflanges or the rib of the beam, the beam can be driven into the groundwith the anchor bolt already attached thereto. Mounting of the anchorbolt and thus of the beam is effected in a conventional manner by ascrew connection and a hinge disc.

A tied back retaining wall structure is disclosed comprisingchannel-shaped sheet piles, a reinforcing bar matrix and a concrete wallencasing the matrix and filling the channels of the piles. Thereinforcing bar matrix comprises an array of laterally disposedreinforcing bars which span the spaces between the piles. Headed studswelded to the piles insure a secure connection of the wall to the piles.A method of constructing such a wall is disclosed which comprisesexcavating downwardly in stages after installing sheet piling in theground, erecting a reinforcing bar matrix and pouring or sprayingconcrete over the structure to form the finished wall.

Permanent concrete wall construction disposed adjacent the face of anexcavation cut in the earth and having a base comprising a plurality ofsoil anchors extending into the earth through the face of the excavationcut. The soil anchors include reinforcing elements which have a definiteliftetime in excess of 50 years. The soil anchors have proximalextremities which extend outwardly away from the face of the cut. Apermanent concrete wall extending upwardly from the base of theexcavation with the proximal extremities of said soil anchors beingburied within the concrete wall. The concrete wall has a finishedarchitectural surface formed as an integral part thereof.

The invention relates to a method and system for rehabilitation of anexisting retaining wall or bulkhead.

A method and device for sealing the joint formed by the connection ofadjacent sheet piling sections. Prior to installation in the ground, ahousing having an open side is attached near the edge of a sheet pilingsection. A barrier is inserted between the open side of the housing andthe sheet piling section and a sealant material is added to the housing.After the sheet piling section and the attached housing are installed inthe ground, the barrier is removed and the sealant material contacts thejoint to form a watertight seal.

A retaining element system is provided that improves face stability inpoorer quality soils that are not suited to conventional soil nailing.The method includes inserting retaining elements substantiallyvertically into an earthen mass to shore the face of an excavation. Theearthen mass can be any material or combination of materials, such assoil, clay or rock that requires excavation for the installation of ashoring wall. The plurality of retaining elements are placed side byside in a substantially linear arrangement. A plurality of soil nailsare then inserted into the excavation plane, at the approximate midpointbetween a pair of adjacent retaining elements. An exposed tip portion ofeach soil nail attaches to a wale, which is a substantially horizontalelement that contacts a retaining element on both sides of each soilnail. The wale can be a beam, bracket, or a set of concretereinforcement bars. The beam or bracket can either be a structuralmember, formed of steel or the like, or alternatively formed from aprecast concrete. The concrete reinforcement bars can then receive aconcrete fill to form a solid wale structure. Face stability is achievedwith the pre-installed retaining elements, which with the wales providecomplete facing support.

The modular wall includes a sheet pile wall 12 with support brackets 20that provide cantilever support to a facade of interlocking rows ofblocks 30-34. The support member 20 includes vertical members thatextend from the top of the sheet piling part way down the length of thesheet piling. Base members 24 extend firm the vertical members and aresupported by angled braces 22. Horizontally extending key members reston the base members and are affixed thereto. The key members provide akey for connecting to a slot of a first row of modular blocks. Themodular blocks are stabilized by geogrid 28 that is captured in the keyand slot interconnection of the modular blocks and is affixed to thesheet piling 12 or embedded in concrete fill.

Connectors for use in a retaining wall and a retaining wall havinggrooved blocks configured to receive the connector. Connectors can beused in various orientations within the grooves of the blocks. In aretaining wall, a flexible geosynthetic material fits into a channel ofa channel connector, and is held in place by an elongate bar. Theconnector prevents abrasion of geosynthetic material. The connector canalso be a plurality of spaced-apart projections for use with anapertured, relatively rigid geogrid. The connectors hold geogrid firmlyin place, providing for increased connection capacity.

Apparatus for maintaining a seawall disposed between a body of water andretained earth includes at least two anchoring devices installed on theseawall at spaced locations and a connecting member for rigidlyinterconnecting the anchoring devices to maintain the separationdistance therebetween. The connecting member may have a fixed length ormay be adjustable in length to adjust the separation distance betweenthe anchoring devices. A method of maintaining a seawall involvesforming a passage through the seawall from a water facing side to anearth facing side of the seawall, inserting an anchoring member in thepassage, advancing the anchoring member into the retained earth toanchor an anchor of the anchoring member in the retained earth, andsecuring a retaining member on the anchoring member along the waterfacing side of the seawall to apply compressive force against theseawall.

Interlocking sheet piling (60, 62) is made of extruded hollow sectionreinforced structural plastics, and is anchored in position, after beinglightly driven into place, by anchor pins (64) extending throughpassages in the individual piles and deep driven into the waterway bed,and ground anchors (66) locked in open channels (87) on the rear facesof some of the piles, retained by infill (104). The installed piling iscovered by capping (68).

The present invention is directed to a retaining panel of one-piececonstruction for a body of water. A preferred embodiment of theretaining panel comprises a central portion, two side portions, and twoflanges. The central portion has a first end and a second end. One sideportion is integrally connected to and extends at a first angle from thefirst end of the central portion. Similarly, the other side portion isintegrally connected to and extends at a second angle from the secondend of the central portion. It is preferred that the first angle and thesecond angle are approximately equal. It is further preferred that thelengths of the first and second side portions are approximately equal.One flange is integrally connected to and extends at a third angle froma rear end of one side portion, and the other flange is integrallyconnected to and extends at a fourth angle from a rear end of the otherside portion. It is preferred that the third and fourth angle areapproximately equal. Each of the flanges has a proximal portion and adistal portion. The distal portion of one of the flanges defines afemale connecting portion, and the distal portion of the other flangedefines a male connecting portion. The retaining panel is preferablyadapted to be interlocked with a substantially similar, adjacentretaining panel by inserting its male connecting portion into the femaleconnecting portion of the adjacent retaining panel.

While these sea wall retaining apparatus may be suitable for thepurposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable forthe purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide means forattachment of geogrid material to seawall panels or retaining wallpanels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connection beamhaving opposing side portions with complementary male and femaleconnectors.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a connectionbeam having an extension or flange, which extends from the connectorswhere the flange can be drilled for attachment of a geogrid whichfunctions as an anchor.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a methodof connecting the geogrid material to sheet pilings comprising insertingthe connection beam between adjoining sheet pile panels, drilling athrough hole in the extension or flange of each of the connection beams,installing a connection rod in the through holes and connection ageogrid to the connection rod.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a quick method ofseawall or retaining wall construction.

Additional objects of the present invention will appear as thedescription proceeds.

The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art byproviding a connector beam positionable between seawall panels forattachment of geogrid material. The connector beam has male and femaleconnectors, which are designed to mate with the male and femaleconnectors on a sheet pile panel. These connectors allow a connectionbeam to join to adjacent sheet pile panels when the beam is insertedbetween the adjacent sheet pile panels. The connector beam has anextension or flange projecting rearward. The extension provides a meansfor attaching the geogrid material to the connection beams. The geogridmay be secured to the connection rod by any suitable means including butnot limited to fasteners.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from thedescription to follow. In the description reference is made to theaccompanying drawing, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shownby way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention maybe practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detailto enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it isto be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and thatstructural changes may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. In the accompanying drawing, like reference charactersdesignate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.

The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best definedby the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now bedescribed, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawingin which:

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of prior art.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sequence of construction chart of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a section view of a connection beam of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a section view of another connection beam of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a side view of a clamping member of the present invention.

FIG. 7B is a rear view of the present invention.

FIG. 7C is a rear view of the present invention FIG. 8 is a detailedview of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of multi-level mat of the presentinvention.

FIG. 13 shows various extension designs of the present invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is usedthroughout the drawings.

2 Tie Rod (Prior Art)

4 Deadman Anchor Piling (Prior Art)

10 Present Invention

12 Bulkhead

14 Ground Level

16 Water level

18 Cap

20 Wale Beam

22 Connection Beam

24 Female Connector

26 Male Connector

28 Central Section

30 Joining Member

32 Sheet Pile Panel

34 Geogrid

36 Mat

38 Profiled Portion

40 Extension

42 Connection Rod

44 Through Hole

46 Clamping Member

48 Threaded Fastener

50 Threaded Hole

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of theinvention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussionshould not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to thoseparticular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognizenumerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scopeof the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view of prior art. Prior art retainingstructures for reinforcement of bulkheads tend to stress and displacedue to ground pressure. The arrows indicate the direction of the groundpressure forces. The first frame illustrates what is known as a toefailure on a prior cantilevered system. In a cantilevered system thesheet pile panels of the bulkhead are driven into the ground and theexposed or cantilevered part (above ground) of the sheet pile panels areunsupported. The ground pressure forces are greatest at the lower end ofthe sheet pile panels or toe of the bulkhead and the wall can displace.The third frame illustrates an upper end failure of a cantileveredsystem. Ground pressure tends to stress and displace the upper end ofthe sheet pile panels causing a failure. The second frame illustratesprior art tie back system employing two wale beams, tie rods 2 anddeadman anchor pilings 4. Two wale beams extend laterally across theexposed face of the sheet pile panels. Tie rods 2 extend through thewale beams and the sheet pile panels and are secured to a deadman anchorpiling 4.

FIGS. 2-4 are illustrative views of the present invention 10 in use. Thepresent invention 10 relates to a system for supporting sheet pile panelwalls. It can be employed in a seawall, which is commonly referred to asa bulkhead 12. It may also be employed in a retaining wall. FIGS. 2 and3 show a bulkhead 12 made of sheet pile panels where the tops of thesheet pile panels are finished off with a cap 18. The cap 18 alsoprovides lateral support to the upper end of the wall. The cap 18 may beformed by poring concrete in place on the wall once the wall has beeninstalled or the cap 18 may be preformed. The cap 18 may also be made ofany suitable plastic or metal material. The wall support system of thepresent invention 10 employs connection beams 22 and an attached geogrid34 to provide the necessary support to the wall structure. Theconnection beams 22 are joined to the individual sheet pile panels 32 ofthe wall. The connection beams 22 have connectors which mate with theconnectors of the sheet pile panels 32. The geogrid 34 is able toprovide support since it is buried by the fill of the wall. The load onthe geogrid prevents the wall from being displaced. The geogrid replacesthe tie rods and deadman anchors of the prior art. Wale beams 20 may beemployed to further enhance and support the wall (see FIG. 4). They aretypically secured across the front surface of the sheet pile panels 32for additional wall support and are secured to the support system. Ifnecessary multiple layers of beams 20 and geogrids 34 can be employed asseen in FIG. 4. FIG. 3 shows an illustrative view of the presentinvention 10 in use as a retaining wall. The retaining wall can beformed without a wale beam 20 (as shown) or it may be formed with a walebeam 20 to provide additional support if required.

FIGS. 6-8 show the wall support system of the present invention 10 andhow it is employed with the sheet pile panels 32 of a bulkhead 12 orretaining wall. The support system employs a connection beam 22, whichis an elongated beam like member that extends the entire height of thesheet pile panels 32 on which it is deployed. The connection beam 22 hasa connector portion with a female connector 24 and a male connector 26disposed thereon. The connector portion has a central section 28 that isjoined to an extension 40 or flange. The male connector 26 is secured tothe central section 28 of the connector portion by a joining member 30.The female connector 24 is secured to the central section 28 by ajoining member 30 or it can be secured directly to the central section28 as seen in 6A. These connectors are aligned in the same plane and areon opposite sides of the connection beam 22. The male connector 26engages with the female connector 24 on a sheet pile panel 32. Thefemale connector 24 engages with the male connector 26 on a sheet pilepanel 32. The connection beam 22 joins and secures together two adjacentsheet pile panels 32. The connection beam 22 provides several functionsin addition to its primary function of joining together sheet pilepanels 32 and providing a simple and easy manner of securing a geogridto a bulkhead or wall structure. The connection beam 22, since it is abeam, stiffens each of the sheet pile panels 32, to which it is joined.Looking at the FIGS. 6-8, it is easy to see how the connection beam 22will stiffen the panels 32 it joins. The connection beam 22 has anextension 40 that terminates in a profiled portion 38. The profiledportion 38 in combination with the extension 40 act as a beam to providevertical stiffness to the connection beam 22. The connection beam 22 isshaped like a “T”. The Cross bar of the “T” has male 26 and female 24connectors secured thereon. The vertical portion of the “T” is theextension 40 and the base portion of the “T” is the profiled portion 38.The connection beam 22 acts in the same manner as an “I” beam would. A“T” beam has a wider cross bar and has a narrower base. An “I” beam hasuniform top and bottom members. As seen in FIG. 14, the profiled portion38 may take on a variety of shapes, some of which will give the beam analmost true “T” or “I” shapes. The profiled portion 38 (which is thebase of the “T”) may be thicker than the thickness of the extension 40.It is preferable that it is thicker since it will make the connectionbeam 22 stiffer providing the beam with a greater load bearing capacity.The individual shapes provide for varying strengths for the connectionbeam 22. This allows for supplying connection beams 22 to meet specificload requirements. The connection beams 22 can be made of plastic suchas polyvinylchloride (PVC), copolymers or any other suitable plasticmaterial. The beams can be made of fiber reinforced plastic withreinforcing fibers such as nylon, glass, carbon, and aramid. KEVLAR isthe trade name for a popular aramid manufactured by Dupont. Theconnection beams 22 can also be made of metals such as steel, aluminumor any other suitable metal. The metal beams may be coated or galvanizedto inhibit rust.

The geogrid 34 is secured to the beams via a connection rod 42. Theconnection rod 42 is seen in FIG. 13 can be made of plastic, fiberreinforced plastic, steel or any other suitable metal. The connectionrod 42 need not be made of the same material as the connection beam 22on which it is deployed. The geogrid 34 may be fastened to theconnection rod employing any suitable means including but not limited tofasteners. The fasteners may be rivets, screws, bolts, etc or any othersuitable mechanism that is capable of securing the grid to theconnection rod 42. In one method of installation, (not shown) the end ofthe geogrid 34 could be wrapped around the connection rod 42 forming aflap which is then, folded onto the body of the geogrid 34 and then theflap is secured to the body of the geogrid 34 by any suitable meansincluding but not limited to fasteners. The flap of the geogrid 34creates a pocket for the connection rod 42 so that the geogrid 34 isretained on the connection rod 42.

The geogrid 34 is modular structure made of individual mats 36 securedto each other. A geogrid 34 may have a width of just one mat 36 as seenin FIGS. 9 and 10. Here two separate geogrids 34 are shown, where thegeogrids 34 are laterally spaced from each other. The geogrid 34 mayalso be employed in a laterally continuous manner as seen in FIG. 11.Looking at FIG. 11, it is seen that individual mats 36 may be secured toeach other by connection rods 42. The mats 36 may be secured to theconnection rods 42 by any suitable means including but not limited tofasteners. The mats may be secured to each other directly without theuse of connection rods 42. The mats may be secured directly to eachother by any suitable means including but not limited to fasteners. Thegeogrid 34 is formed of the desired width and length by securingadditional mats 36 to make the grid as long and as wide as necessary tosupport the wall structure. It has been contemplated that in the eventthat a continuous geogrid 34 is employed, a way to join connection rods42 is desired. The ends of the connection rods 42 could be externallythreaded (male threads) and an internally threaded connector with femalethreads at each end may be employed to secure the connection rods 42together. Or each connection rod 42 may be threaded, where one end hasexternal male threads and the other end has internal female threads,making the joining of connection rods 42 simple and rapid. If required,the geogrids 34 can be vertically stacked as seen in FIG. 12. Stackedgeogrids 34 provide additional support to a single sheet pile panel 32when the grids 34 are one mat 36 wide. Stacked geogrids 34 provideadditional support to multiple sheet panels 32 when the geogrids 34 arecontinuous. It is desired that the mats 36 of the geogrid 34 be made ofa plastic material that will not degrade in a buried environment.Suitable plastics would be PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, or otherpolymers or copolymers. The mats 36 can be of woven construction or theycan be extruded in sheet form. The extruded sheets could be solid, i.e.without holes or they could be perforated to allow drainage of the soilor fill which rests upon the sheets. It has also been considered thatthe mats 36 can be made of a non-woven plastic fabric. One suchnon-woven fabric is sold under the trade name TYVEK. These non-wovenfabrics can be made of PVC, polypropylene, polyethylene, or otherpolymers or copolymers. The non-woven fabrics may be perforated toenhance their water permeability to provide for soil drainage as notedabove.

The through holes 48 in the extensions 40 of the connection beams 22 aretypically drilled on site. They also could also be drilled prior tobringing the connection beams 22 to the installation site. These throughholes 44 extend through the extension 40 of the connection beam 22 asseen in FIGS. 6 and 6A. It has also been considered that the beams 22could be manufactured with a plurality of through holes 44 inpredetermined locations in the extension 40 to eliminate the need fordrilling. If the beams 22 are manufactured with a plurality of throughholes 44, the beams 22 may be provided with a wider extension 40 tocompensate for the loss in strength due to the plurality of throughholes 44. The connection rods 42 can be held in place or provided withlimited side-to-side movement by clamping members 46 secured around thecircumference of the connection rods 42. The clamping member is seen inFIG. 7A. The clamping member 46 has a through hole 44 therein forreceiving the connection rod 42. A threaded fastener 48 disposed in athreaded hole 50 in the clamping member 46, which is tightened to pressagainst the connection rod 42 and secure the clamping member 46 to theconnection rod 42. There would typically be two clamping members 46 oneach connection rod 42, one secured adjacent each end of the rod 42.They can be positioned on the rod 42 such they are both either outsideof the extensions 40 as in FIG. 7B. They could also be deployed as seenin FIG. 7C where both are interior of each extension 40. If joinedconnection rods 42 are employed on a continuous geogrid 34 it will benecessary to provide clamping members 46 on at least one of theconnection rods 42. Additional clamping members 46 may be used ifdesired.

FIG. 5 shows one possible sequence for the installation of a wallemploying sheet piles panels 32 and the connection beams 22 of thepresent invention. In step 1, a sheet pile 32 in driven into the groundand then a connection beam 22 is joined to and slid down the sheet pilepanel 32 and driven into the ground. In step 2, a second sheet pilepanel 32 is joined to and slid down the connection beam 22 and driveninto the ground. In step 3, a second connection beam 22 is joined to andslid down the previous sheet pile panel 32 and driven into the ground.In step 4, another sheet pile panel 32 is joined to and slid down thesecond connection beam 22 and driven into the ground and then holes 44are drilled into the extensions 40 of the connection beams 22. In step5, a connection rod 42 is inserted through the holes 44 in theconnection beams 22. In step 6, a geogrid 34 of the desired length andwidth is secured to the connection rod 42 employing any suitable means.The wall is then back filled and the geogrid 34 is buried. The weight ofthe fill on the geogrid 34 provides the wall with the required support.It has been contemplated that other sequences can be employed for theinstallation. It is possible to begin an installation sequence by firstdriving a connection beam 22 into the ground. Then a sheet pile panel 32can be installed on one side of the connection beam 22, slid down thelength of the connector and then driven into the ground. A connectionbeam 22 can be slid down the other side of the just installed sheet pilepanel 32 and then driven into the ground. This eliminates having anexposed edge of a sheet pile panel 32, which is unsupported and may beeasily damaged. It is envisioned that in creating walls that thecompleted sections with attached geogrids be back filled prior to thecompletion of the entire wall.

The support system of the present invention may be employed on any sheetpile panel with male and female connectors. Once such sheet pile panelis disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,667 to Burt et al. The supportsystem of the present invention may be employed with the sheet pilepanels disclosed in my copending Patent Application with the titleCorrugated Asymmetrical Retaining Wall Panel, (attorney docket numberJM-4-jm) filed with the United States Patent Office on 5 Sep. 2006,application Ser. No. 11/515,935, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

1. A system for joining and supporting sheet pile panels so that thesheet pile panels can form a wall structure, the system comprising: atleast two connection beams, a connection rod, a geogrid secured on orabout the connection rod, wherein the geogrid is a planar mat made ofplastic for supporting the connection beams when secured thereto,wherein each connection beam has a through hole which is capable ofreceiving the connection rod, wherein each of the connection beams has amale and a female connector, wherein the extension of each connectionbeam has a terminal end with a profile portion thereon, wherein theprofile is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped,diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar iscrowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular throughhole therein, and wherein the profile of each connection beam issubstantially “T” shaped in section where the section is takenperpendicular to the extension and in the plane that is parallel to eachof an upper and lower end surface of the beam.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein each of the male and female connectors is joined to a centralsection of the connection beam by a joining member such that the maleand female members are spaced from the central section by the joiningmember.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the male profile is joined toa central section of the beam by a joining member and the female memberis joined directly to the central section of the beam so that the maleprofile is spaced from the central section and the female connector isnot spaced from the central section of the beam.
 4. The system of claim2, wherein each of the male and female profiles extends to an upper andto a lower terminal of their respective connection beams.
 5. The systemof claim 3, wherein each of the male and female profiles extends to anupper and to a lower terminal of their respective connection beams. 6.The system of claim 4, wherein each connection beam is made from amaterial selected from the group consisting of plastic, fiber reinforcedplastic, polyvinylchloride, steel, or aluminum.
 7. The system of claim5, wherein the connection beam is made from a material selected from thegroup consisting of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic,polyvinylchloride, steel, or aluminum.
 8. The system of claim 6, whereinthe connection rod has a first end and a second end, the first end hasmale threads and the second end has female threads where the femalethreads of one connection rod are capable of receiving the male threadsof another connection rod.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein theconnection rod has a first end and a second end, the first end has malethreads and the second end has female threads where the female threadsof one connection rod are capable of receiving the male threads ofanother connection rod.
 10. The system of claim 8, including at leastone sheet pile panel, wherein each of the at least one sheet pile panelshas two connectors secured thereon, wherein one of the connectors is amale connector which is capable of securing to any of the femaleconnectors on the at least two connection beams and the other connectoris a female connector which is capable of securing to any of the maleconnectors of the at least two connection beams.
 11. The system of claim9, including at least one sheet pile panel, wherein each of the at leastone sheet pile panels has two connectors secured thereon, wherein one ofthe connectors is a male connector which is capable of securing to anyof the female connectors on the at least two connection beams and theother connector is a female connector which is capable of securing toany of the male connectors of the at least two connection beams.
 12. Amethod of joining and supporting sheet pile panels, the methodcomprising: providing at least two connection beams, wherein eachconnection beam has a male and a female connector thereon, said beamhaving an extension thereon, said extension having a width, a height anda thickness, wherein the height is greater than its width, and the widthis greater than its thickness, providing at least one sheet pile panel,providing at least one connection rod, providing at least one geogrid,driving a first connection beam into the ground, connecting a first ofthe at least one sheet pile panel to the first connection beam anddriving the sheet pile panel into the ground, connecting the a second ofleast two connection beams to first sheet pile panel and driving thesecond connection beam into the ground, drilling a through hole in theextension of each of the at least first and second connection beamsafter the beams have been driven into the ground, installing theconnection rod in the through holes, securing the geogrid to theconnection rod, wherein the geogrid is a plurality of modular matswherein each mat is secured to at least one adjacent mat, burying thegeogrid such that the geogrid supports the at least one sheet pilepanel.
 13. A method of joining and supporting sheet pile panels, themethod comprising: providing at least two connection beams, wherein eachconnection beam has a male and a female connector thereon, said beamhaving an extension thereon, said extension having a width, a height anda thickness, wherein the height is greater than its width, and the widthis greater than its thickness, providing at least one sheet pile panel,providing at least one connection rod, providing at least one geogrid,driving a first of the at least one sheet pile panels into the ground,connecting a first of the at least two connection beams to the firstsheet pile panel and driving the first connection beam into the ground,connecting the a second of least two connection beams to first sheetpile panel and driving the second connection beam into the ground,drilling a through hole in the extension of each of the at least firstand second connection beams after the beams have been driven into theground, installing the connection rod in the through holes, securing thegeogrid to the connection rod, wherein the geogrid is a plurality ofmodular mats wherein each mat is secured to at least one adjacent mat,burying the geogrid such that the geogrid supports the at least onesheet pile panel.
 14. A connection beam for connection adjacent sheetpile panels, the connection beam comprising: an elongated member havingupper and lower distal ends, a connection portion, said connectionportion having male and female connectors formed therein, wherein eachthe male and female connectors extends to the upper and lower distalends, an extension portion extending away from said connection portionto a profiled portion on the terminal end of the extension portion, theextension portion extending from to the upper and lower terminal ends,wherein the extension portion has a width between the upper and lowerterminal ends which is greater than a thickness of the extension,wherein the profiled portion extends from to the upper and lowerterminal ends
 15. The connection beam of claim 14, wherein theconnection beam is made from a material selected from the groupconsisting of plastic, fiber reinforced plastic, polyvinylchloride,steel, or aluminum.
 16. The connection beam of claim 14, wherein theextension has at least one through hole therein.
 17. The connection beamof claim 14, wherein the extension has a plurality of through holestherein.
 18. The connection beam of claim 16, wherein the connectionportion has a central section joined to the extension and each of themale and female connectors is joined to the central section by a joiningmember such that the male and female members are spaced from the centralsection by the joining member.
 19. The connection beam of claim 17,wherein the connection portion has a central section joined to theextension and each of the male and female connectors is joined to acentral section of the beam by a joining member such that the male andfemale members are spaced from the central section by the joiningmember.
 20. The connection beam of claim 17, wherein the connectionportion has a central section joined to the extension, the male profileis joined to the central section by a joining member and the femalemember is joined directly to the central section so that the maleprofile is spaced from the central section and the female connector isnot spaced from the central section.
 21. The connection beam of claim18, wherein the profile of the profiled portion is selected from thegroup consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamond shaped, “T” shapedwhere the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ring shaped, or arectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein.
 22. Theconnection beam of claim 19, wherein the profile of the profiled portionis selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped, diamondshaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar is crowned, ringshaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular through hole therein.23. The connection beam of claim 20, wherein the profile of the profiledportion is selected from the group consisting of “T” shaped, “U” shaped,diamond shaped, “T” shaped where the top surface of cross bar iscrowned, ring shaped, or a rectangular shape with a rectangular throughhole therein.